Technology Restrospective

[jesse_the_k]

If it runs on electricity, I want it, so this "your life in tech meme" is right up my alley. Following wild_iris's example, I've reworded some of the Qs so they're more sensical for an Old. I also reworded some of the Qs because they were incoherent.

What style was your first phone? Have you ever owned a smartphone?

I got my first mobile phone around 2003, age 58. It was a dead-simple candy bar Nokia from TracFONE. It was succeeded by two feature-phones with tiny qwerty keyboards. I purchased an iPhone SE in November 2017. I love how the maps make me a little less lost and I can read tons of fanfic with it and play soothing games, but I haven’t found earbuds/headset that’s comfortable and sounds good (suggestions welcome).

When did you first get cable?

My parents didn’t have color TV when I left home. My roommates kicked in for cable in 1976, but we never had the premium channels.

Did you ever own an 8-track tape player?

I have ridden in a truck listening to 8-tracks. They sounds pretty horrible–the tape tension is variable and so the pitch warbles.

What about cassette tapes and walkman?

I made cassette tapes on a Sony player/recorder with a built-in mic, the size of a large hardback book. I taped my mother playing the piano, myself playing dulcimer & guitar, and strange rants from WBAI radio at 2a. My first portable music device was a JVC CQ-F2K, entirely made of metal, and I was amazed at wonderful music sounded through headphones. Later on, I narrated scores of newsletters and manuals for five software programs on 4-track slow-speed audio cassettes, and made endless duplicates on a high-speed device.

When did you get your first DVD player?

Maybe late 90s, but it included both a VHS and a DVD, just in case (since we mainly rented movies); BLU-RAY was 2009.

Did you learn how to type on a typewriter?

Yes, I played around on my parents' portables (they each had one). I never learned how to touch type, but I could typeset at around 85WPM on an Editwriter.

What was the first computer you owned?

Apple IIs: I was a partner in a software startup, and used work computers enough that I didn’t need one at home. We’d upgraded the memory to a rippling 64k, and it had two external floppy disk drives—each disk held a mighty 146k data. The first computer I purchased for my own use was a refurb Mac SE II, with an internal 20MB hard drive and a whopping 1MB of memory.

When did you first get email?

Around 1991, thanks to a local dial-up bulletin board system. This BBS used “First Class” software¹ that gave batch access to email and USENET, but not yet web browsing.

When did you first encounter the internet?

When writing an NSF grant for our software company in 1987. They suggested we include our internet contact details, and I had to research what that meant.

When did you start using social media, like Livejournal, Dreamwidth, Twitter, or Facebook?

I read a few blogs in the late 90s—shout out to MoreLikeThis and AListApart—but mostly I hung out on email lists and BBS/forums. When I joined WisCon’s concom in 2007, I learned I had to understand Livejournal (and it took around a year to get it). Moved to DW in 2009. Got jesse_the_k as soon as Twitter was up long enough for me to join, but I mainly use it for planning meals at conventions. I set up a Jesse Le Cay FB account but don’t use it because of my news fast.

What was the first printer for your very first computer? What paper did it use? Could it print photos?

An EPSON FX-70 dot matrix printer, using 8.5" 20# tractor-fed paper. Quickly followed by an Apple ImageWriter, an Okidata daisy-wheel printer, a Thiel braille embosser², and finally in mid-1984, one of the first Apple LaserWriters thanks to our developer discount. (We had to write driver software for it.) No photos at all.

When you were in college, did you type on a computer or type-writer?

I didn’t last long at college but I borrowed my roommate’s typewriter.

When did you start using streaming?

RADIO was the first streaming medium, and I was an enthusiastic listener as a child. In high school I’d stay up late to hear stations from all over the US and Canada, thanks to the broadcast waves bouncing off the ionosphere. Then I branched out into short wave listening. The first internet streaming was Realplayer shows from NPR. Started Netflix discs way back when it was new; switched to streaming as soon as broadband was available in my neighborhood.

Do you own an MP3 player? What age were you when you got it?

Just my newish iPhone; I mainly listen to podcasts & guided meditation.

Did you own a record player, cassette player, CD player or MP3 player as a kid or teen?

Growing up we had a hi-fi in the living room, and I had a portable turntable. I purchased two turntables as an adult.

When did you start blogging on the internet?

LJ in 2007.

When did you get an e-book reader?

July 2013 Kobo Aura, but I prefer to use my iPad Mini

How do you listen to music? On what devices?

I resisted getting a stand-alone CD player until 1991. I prefer to purchase CDs locally over downloads, except when I can buy downloads straight from the artist. I stream from Soundcloud & YT on my laptop, phone, tablet & ROKU; I listen to CDs on my “home entertainment system” and in the car. Sometimes I even go hear the musicians live!

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1. Stunningly, this company is still providing groupware, now as OPENTEXT First Class  ↩
2. We special-ordered 50 boxes of three-hole punched, perforated, tractor-fed braille paper  ↩

Comments

[wohali]

Thank you for sharing!

Wow, the Editwriter takes me back. I had to search for a picture to refresh my memory: https://www.prepressure.com/prepress/history/events-1977 Our university had one, and it was outdated by then, but I got to tinker with it a bit.

Also, First Class was something I studied during my PhD studies at OISE - it was STILL in active use in Ontario as recently as about 5-7 years ago! I think it's finally been consumed by other, more modern, more evil technologies...

[jesse_the_k]

Thank you for that prepressure site.

It was delightful to go from "cold type" to "desktop publishing." Took a decade before the new kids caught up to the quality, and then BOOM the web.

There are many institutions that don't really need internet, just intranet. First Class was pretty swell at that.

[isis]

I'm astonished you remember all those dates! I don't think I remember mine.

[jesse_the_k]

I reworded the questions so I didn't have to do arithmetic :,)

My old memories are pretty sound. After 2005, making new memories has gone way down hill. Thank heavens for online journals.

[firecat]

Still holding out on Blu-ray, here.

[jesse_the_k]

According to my old eyes, the jump from VHS to DVD was much more impressive than DVD to Bluray. But that was probably because we were watching it all on a 720p screen.

(Which got the high hums so we got a 4K soooooper dooooper screen, where the captions are excellently crisp.)

[firecat]

Usually I notice the difference in resolution for only a few minutes, whether we're talking VHS vs DVD, or 720p vs HD, or 2D vs 3D at the movie theater. I have an ancient Mac Mini running my TV and iTunes' DRM won't show HD properly on it...so rather than buy an Apple TV, I buy standard D shows on iTunes and save a few bucks.